Biden, Harris speak at Atlanta University Center

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visit Atlanta today to promote voting rights legislation. You can follow our live updates here.

»Watch a replay of the wreath laying at the King Center.

5:20 p.m.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have concluded their speeches, held on the same grounds where Martin Luther King Jr. was eulogized in 1968.

For about an hour, they spoke on the importance of passing federal voting legislation, especially in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The riot was fueled by election misinformation spread by Trump and his supporters.

Getting voting rights bills passed must be a priority in Washington, the president said.

”I’ve been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months,” he said, banging his hand on the lectern for emphasis. “I’m tired of being quiet.”

You can find full coverage of Biden’s and Harris’ remarks here.

4:37 p.m.

4:22 p.m.

President Joe Biden is speaking at The Atlanta University Center.

4:12 p.m.

Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking at The Atlanta University Center.

3:40 p.m.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp called Democratic President Joe Biden “out of touch with reality” for advocating for federal election legislation in Georgia.

Kemp said the Georgia voting law that passed last year, Senate Bill 202, helped build confidence in election security.

”The facts are simple: SB 202 expands early voting opportunities, secures drop boxes around the clock, reduces long lines at polling places and implements the very same voter ID requirement for absentee ballots that we’ve had for in-person voting for well over a decade,” he said.

Kemp criticized Biden before the president planned to speak Tuesday afternoon about the importance of passing federal voting rights legislation and overcoming filibuster rules in the U.S. Senate that have blocked the bill from advancing.

3:21 p.m.

The lone protester at the King Center event was Matt Gault of Woodstock, wearing a “Tyranny Response Team” T-shirt. He seemed to be protesting everything.

He had both a US flag and a Trump flag, but carried them upside down as a sign of distress. He also carried signs supporting Marjorie Taylor Greene and “stop the steal.”

“I am here to shed light on the tyrannical games going on,” Gault said. “Biden is trying to fortify his tyranny through a mask mandate and using the coronavirus to do it.”

Credit: Ernie Suggs

Credit: Ernie Suggs

3:02 p.m.

Zakai Beck is a senior at Carver Early College and a member of the Atlanta Youth Civic Council, an organization that teaches high school students about democracy and the history of voting rights. He and about a half-dozen other members of the group are in the audience at the Atlanta University Center.

“I think it’s a big deal for the president to come to the south,” Beck said. “You don’t usually see people come here unless it’s time to campaign.”

He said he is hoping to hear updates on voting rights legislation and what needs to be done.

Credit: Tia Mitchell

Credit: Tia Mitchell

The crowd included several dozen HBCU student leaders, such as Morehouse College Student Government Association president Michael McGirt and vice president Ari Wright-Thompson. The two students said they wanted to hear Biden and Harris talk about ways to improve voter access, such as extending hours at the polls and opportunities to vote by mail.

“This is a very vital state for upcoming elections,” Wright-Thompson said of Georgia. “So I’m interested in what they have to say in getting (voting rights) done.”

The students were also interested in hearing the administration’s plans to provide more support for Morehouse and other HBCUs for funding and infrastructure improvements.

Atlanta politicos, administrators from the city’s HBCUs and some elected officials also began filing in for the event. Among them were longtime civil rights activists the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

2:52 p.m.

In a brief ceremony, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King at The King Center in Atlanta Tuesday afternoon.

Martin Luther King III laid a wreath on his parents’ crypt. He was joined by his sister, Bernice, his wife and daughter and Christine King Farris, Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister.

The ceremony lasted less than two minutes.

At The King Center, reporters asked Biden whether he had enough votes for a voting rights bill.

“Keep the faith,” he responded.

Biden and Harris were greeted by Sen. Raphael Warnock on the steps of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. They took a quick tour of the church before heading to the Atlanta University Center.

2:35 p.m.

From Ernie Suggs:

2:03 p.m.

The 23-member Southwest DeKalb High School drum line practiced before the president and vice president’s speeches at the Atlanta University Center.

They were called Monday and asked to perform. Band director James O. Seda rushed to contact band members and their parents to get confirmation they could participate.

“It’s an honor to be considered to be part of this event,” Seda said. “Once everything starts, (the students) will see this is a big deal.”

Credit: Eric Stirgus

Credit: Eric Stirgus

1:34 p.m.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have arrived at The King Center in Atlanta.

1;30 p.m.

From Tia Mitchell:

1:10 p.m.

Air Force has landed in Atlanta.

12:34 p.m.

As we reported in The Jolt this morning, Stacey Abrams won’t be meeting Biden and Harris during their visit to Atlanta today. Before departing the White House this morning, a reporter asked if Biden was insulted that Abrams is skipping his speech.

“I’m insulted that you asked the question,” the president responded. He said “everything is fine” between the two of them.

“I spoke to Stacey this morning,” Biden said. “We have a great relationship. We got our scheduling mixed up … We’re all on the same page.”

12:12 p.m.

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is flying aboard Air Force One alongside President Joe Biden during his trip to Atlanta, according to one of Bottoms’ senior advisors.

A mayor’s office spokesman told the AJC Tuesday that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will meet Bottoms, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris when they arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is expected to occur shortly before 1 p.m. The spokesman said U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia will be flying on Air Force One as well.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams posted on Twitter that she will also be traveling home with Biden alongside Rep. Lucy McBath, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr., Rep. Hank Johnson, and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia.

Bottoms is a Biden confidant after her early and unwavering support for his presidential campaign. She was considered as his potential running mate and she later declined a job offer in his administration.

She ultimately accepted Biden’s nomination for vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection with the Democratic National Committee. Bottoms told the AJC last month that it’s an unpaid job, calling it one of her “labors of love” after her term as mayor.

11:55 a.m.

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger pitched his Republican version of what federal voting changes should look like.

Raffensperger wants nationwide voter ID requirements, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning noncitizen voting, greater flexibility to remove ineligible voters and a ban on collecting and mailing multiple absentee ballots, which is already illegal in Georgia.

“Americans need the confidence that their elections are secure and also accurate. They need to know that only those who are supposed to vote can vote,” Raffensperger said during a press conference at the Georgia Capitol on Tuesday. “While the Biden administration plan seeks to rig the rules to favor Democrats, my plan will help ensure the integrity of America’s elections.”

Raffensperger criticized parts of the Democrats’ election overhaul bills pending in Congress.

He opposed proposals that would allow voters who lack an ID to cast a regular ballot after signing a sworn affidavit of their identity, and he said limits on canceling outdated voter registrations would result in inaccurate voter rolls.

“Make no mistake: This is an attempt to weaken election security,” Raffensperger said. “Neither the Democrat Party nor the Biden administration have the support of the American people for this federal elections takeover.”

11:30 a.m.

Once President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris land in Atlanta this afternoon, their first stop will be Auburn Avenue.

There, they will tour historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. was the pastor until his death in 1968. Then they will walk next door and lay a wreath at the crypt where King and his wife, Coretta, are interred.

At 3:50 p.m., the president and vice president are scheduled to deliver remarks on the importance of passing federal voting legislation, even if it means revising U.S. Senate rules so that Republicans cannot use the filibuster to block debate on a bill that will create national standards for election management, redistricting and campaign finance, or on a separate proposal that will reinstate federal review of changes to state and local election laws in municipalities that meet certain criteria.

Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has said he wants a vote on the bills, including any necessary rules changes, before MLK Day, which is Monday. But it doesn’t look like he has the support of all 50 Democrats necessary to get that done.

Republicans opposed these proposals, saying Washington should not tell states how to run elections and accusing Democrats of attempting to change laws in ways that keep them in control.

Several U.S. senators, including Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are expected to attend the speeches this afternoon. The remarks will be carried live on various networks, such as C-SPAN, and can be streamed on the White House’s YouTube channel.

A coalition of voting rights groups that have criticized this trip say they won’t be in the audience during the speeches, which will be held where the campuses of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University meet. These groups stopped short of encouraging a boycott or protests but say they will hold a separate event later today to react to Biden and Harris’ remarks.

Check back here for updates throughout the day.